HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-29-19 Public Comment - R. Zimmer - The Golden Rule for Land DevelopmentFrom:Ralph Zimmer
To:Cyndy Andrus; Chris Mehl; Jeff Krauss; I-Ho Pomeroy; Terry Cunningham; Michael Wallner
Cc:Andrea Surratt; Chuck Winn; Annaa Rosenberry; Mitch Reister; Shawn Kohtz; John Alston; Tom Radcliffe
Subject:City"s Adherence to "The Golden Rule"
Date:Friday, November 29, 2019 12:58:07 AM
Friday, November 29, 2019
Mayor Andrus, Deputy Mayor Mehl, Commissioner Krauss, Commissioner Pomeroy,Commissioner Cunningham, and Commissioner-Elect Wallner,
On more than one occasion, I have heard a City Commissioner publicly say something to
the effect of "The City does not require developers to do more than the City itself does when itdevelops land". I am going to call that "The Golden Rule". I personally like that rule.
However, I would like to explore how well the City has actually adhered to that rule.
Let's talk about two properties:
1. Nelson Meadows. When the City approved the pre-plat application, it attached a
requirement that the developer dedicate space along the subdivision's border with theBNSF/MRL right-of-way for a ten-foot wide paved shared-use path which the developer
would build at its own expense. 2. The Montana Department of Transportation office/garage/shop facility in the
northeast corner of the intersection of Nelson Road and the frontage road. For MDT tocon strut this property, MDT was required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding
with the City committing MDT to build at its expense a separated shared-use path fromNelson Road eastward to the abutting City property (basically parallel to the
BNSF/MRL right-of-way).
Now let's look at the property at 2245 Springhill Road. That is the address, I am told, ofthe City's wastewater treatment facility and solar farm. It is immediately east of the MDT
property mentioned above and like the two properties mentioned above, it too abuts theBNSF/MRL right-of-way, yet the City has not followed The Golden Rule and has not
obligated itself to build the shared-use path called for in the PROST plan, the City'sTransportation Master Plan, the MDT's Frontage Road Corridor Study, PCC's draft plan, and
several other older planning studies.
Please note that with the annexation of Nelson Meadows the section between Nelson andSpringhill Roads is now well within the City limits and with the imminent construction of the
frontage road path over the Nelson Meadows and MDT properties the segment across the Cityproperty would clearly be an in-fill project.
It's not too late for the City to step forward and build that shared-use path across its own
property. The advocacy group the Galla10 Alliance for Pathways (GAP) has a proposal infront of the TOP committee to fund some of the cost of that section of the proposed frontage
road path, but The Golden Rule would require the City to pay the full cost plus it would beunfortunate for the TOP funds to be drained for a facility that the City is at least morally
obligated to pay out of its own funding sources.
My understanding is the Commission will be considering the wastewater treatment CIP at
its meeting Monday. I am out of town and cannot personally attend that Commission meeting,but that would be a golden opportunity for the City both to step up and honor The Golden Rule
and to avoid creation of a safety hazard.
The Golden Rule dictates that the City construct at its own expense a ten-foot widepaved shared-use path along the south edge of its wastewater treatment/solar farm
property at 2245 Springhill Road. Since the path across Nelson Meadows is alreadyunder construction and the path across the MDT property will reportedly soon follow,
safety dictates the path across the adjacent City property be promptly built, not builtyears from now. Otherwise, unprotected, vulnerable bicyclists and pedestrians will be
"dumped out" on the dangerous frontage road between Nelson and Springhill Roads. We need roads with safe termini.
Ralph
Ralph W. Zimmer, Chairperson Bozeman (Area) Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee (PTS)
cc: City of Bozeman staff
various advocacy groups PTS officers